Trapped
by DaughterOfTheSea
Summary: A bunch of students at a University are trying to free hostages that have been capture by gunmen.
1. Chapter 1

I

Alexis

"It's freezing cold in here!" I complained, rubbing my gloved hands together. My friend Nathan stood in front of a tall shelf piled with white boxes, his back facing me. "It's the freezer room Alexis," he said. "You can't walk in here expecting it to be like a sauna."  
"Like it isn't cold enough outside." I mumbled mostly to myself.  
"I didn't ask you to come here." He said, trying to defend himself.  
"No, you just _blackmailed_ me."  
He chuckled. "Look, I've almost found it, so just hang on for a few more minutes." He said putting his foot on one of the shelves to climb up higher.  
Nathan was already pretty tall, but the shelves were higher than he could see. He was lean, with straight black hair that always fell just above his blue eyes. Heads turned to look at him wherever he went, partly because he was so good looking, and partly because they were looking out for themselves, hoping they wouldn't be a victim of one of his latest pranks.  
I have my brother, Tyler, to thank for having a person like Nathan in my life. We met when I was 9. Tyler is 2 years older than me, and he's much better at making friends than I am. He brought Nathan home after his first day of sixth grade, and I was busy trying to avoid them the whole day. Unfortunately, Tyler makes friends with people who have characteristics similar to him, so Nathan came to me and started up a conversation. It was around the time when I was 10 that he got really close to me.  
My mom had died in a plane crash on the way to a big business interview in Boston. My dad was always so busy with work since then, because he had to raise enough money for Tyler, my younger brother Dylan, and me all on his own. Tyler decided to take care of Dylan and me by himself. He was only twelve at the time, and Nathan volunteered to come over and help him. He came every day, even after I turned fourteen, and insisted that I could help take care of things at home too. By then, I pretty much called him my best friend. Well, my best _guy _friend, excluding my brothers.  
My best friend would be Saskiya, who also happens to be Tyler's high school sweetheart, and now steady girlfriend. We met in drama club in high school. She was a foreign exchange student from South Africa, and was pretty worried about fitting in with the new surroundings and new people – which didn't turn out to be a problem because she was one of the hottest girls in school. Tall, slim, hazel brown hair, black eyes and a fair complexion. She was like a teen model – so she joined the drama club since acting is her passion. We were paired up to do a short play together, and working on it together, we became really close. I introduced her to my brother, who she claimed was extremely hot, and I knew instantly that sparks would fly. It turned out I was right, because not even a few weeks had passed by before they started dating.  
The only problem was that Tyler was about to graduate and Saskiya was in the 10th grade, with me. Once Tyler and Nathan graduated, they both decided to go to Long Island University, to be close to home, but not too close. It was good for Tyler because he could visit Saskiya whenever he came home for the holidays, and 2 years later, Saskiya and I joined Long Island University too. It all worked out in the end, except now, Tyler and I are waiting for little Dylan to grow up and join college too. Well, I can't exactly call him little, since he's taller than me, but he's younger than me by 3 years, so I guess 'little' is an appropriate word. Ever since he turned sixteen and got his license this year, he insists on driving down to pick up Tyler and me for the holidays, and today was one of those days.  
That brings us to the topic of the freezer room and why I was stuck in it with Nathan. He was leaving a day later since there weren't any flight tickets to San Francisco today. Since Tyler realized that Nathan was going to be alone over here, he offered to stay with him for the night and catch the train home after Nathan goes to the airport.  
Nathan felt so grateful and excited he started making all sorts of plans and pranks to play, and then finally decided that they should pull an all-nighter. He was here in the freezer room looking for a tub of ice cream to have for the night. I made the mistake of asking him why they needed ice cream for an all-nighter, and he replied, "Well, we already have things that are both legal and illegal. I want something I didn't buy from someone else." I decided I didn't need to know everything my brother and Nathan did.  
I was about to complain once again about it being too cold, when Nathan yelled "Found it!" and lost his balance. He crashed to the floor, a white tub which supposedly consisted of ice cream, tumbled after him, landing on his stomach and making him grunt. I walked over and kneeled down, picking up the tub of ice cream. "I will never understand the mind of a boy." I said with a sigh as Nathan sat up. "You don't have to. Just trust us." He said with a smirk on his face. "Not so easy if I meet boys like you who blackmail me into doing what they want before they even try to ask nicely." I retorted.  
"You've become better with your words. I guess I must be rubbing off on you." He said raising an eyebrow.  
"Yeah, you wish."  
"Well, I'd love to continue this playful banter, but I have to go around spreading my success." He said rising to his feet.  
"Wow, I didn't think you knew what banter meant, let alone be able to use it in a sentence."  
"Need I remind you that I am in my third year of college while you are only in your first."  
"That doesn't make you a teenage version of Einstein. That just gives you the feeling of superiority."  
"Whatever. Let's just get out of here." He finally gave up.  
He stretched out a hand toward me and just as I reached out to take it, he said, "Oh, I'm not helping you up. I was expecting you to hand over the ice cream." I glared at him and he started to laugh. "I may not be Einstein," He said, "But I sure know how to pull people's legs." He reached down further and grabbed my hand. I pulled myself up with his help and handed him the tub of ice cream. We sneaked out of the cafeteria, managing not to get caught by anyone, and headed to The Coffee Bean, the café inside our campus.  
Once we arrived I looked around and caught sight of a familiar pair of eyes. They were the same sea green that I saw when I looked in the mirror or when I looked at Tyler or my mom. Tyler seemed to be concentrated on his conversation with Saskiya. Nathan and I walked over to them and Tyler ruffled my hair once he turned his gaze to me. "Hey Lexi, hey Nathan." he said.  
When I was born, Tyler wasn't able to pronounce Alexis, so he started calling me Lexi. The name kind of stuck and even Dylan calls me that now, but my brothers are the only ones that call me that. Well, the only ones _allowed_ to call me that. "Hey Tyler." Nathan said and then looked to Saskiya. "Husky!" he shouted. Saskiya rolled her eyes. "Hi Nathan." Husky was the name Nathan came up with for Saskiya since he assumed that Saskiya was the name of a Siberian Husky. The other reason Nathan calls her Husky is because she has a deep, husky voice.  
I looked at Tyler with irritation. "I'm 19 years old, Tyler. When are you going to stop ruffling my hair?"  
He chuckled. "Whenever you grow taller." I took after my mother's side of the family, where everybody is short and thin, with jet black hair. Tyler and Dylan however, took after my father. Tall and lanky, with light brown hair.  
"That excuse is getting old." I said taking a seat in front of him. Nathan pulled up a chair beside me.  
"Well, it still amuses me so I think I'll keep it as an excuse until I find something more interesting."  
I didn't know how to reply, so I stayed quiet. Nathan broke the silence. "So, I got the ice cream."  
Tyler perked up. "You did?" Nathan nodded. "What flavour is it?"  
"I don't know," Nathan admitted. "I decided to open it in your presence."  
"Well then what are you waiting for? Open it!" Tyler said, clearly excited. Like me, Tyler was addicted to sugar. He could go a whole week on just sugary junk food. Nathan set the tub of ice cream on the table and opened it to reveal the green colour of pistachio flavoured ice cream. Tyler nearly banged his head on the table. As much as he loved sugar and ice cream, this was one of the flavours he couldn't eat since he was allergic to nuts.  
"Great," Nathan said. Saskiya tried to reassure Tyler, "Don't worry, it doesn't taste that good anyways." Tyler lifted his head to meet her gaze. "I'm not worried about that. Now we don't have any ice cream for tonight."  
Nathan jumped in. "Yes we do. I'll just go and grab another tub."  
"No, you already went once. Why go through the trouble again?"  
"Relax. I hate pistachio anyways. I can't believe people consider it as a flavour of ice cream. It shouldn't even exist. I'll be back soon, and don't worry, I'll check the flavour before I bring it this time." Nathan closed the tub of ice cream and stood up.  
"Do you want me to come?" I asked.  
"Jeez Alex, I know you can't stay away from me, but try and restrain your feelings," he winked at me. "I'll be back soon." He spun around and jogged to the cafeteria. "I don't think I've met anyone with a bigger ego than his." I said, mostly to myself. Saskiya chuckled. "So, Dylan's coming today right?"  
I nodded. "He should be here soon, if he hasn't already arrived."  
"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Tyler said. "I think he's here. I saw his friend Brandon trying to pick up some freshman girls."  
"Where did you see him?"  
"Somewhere near–" He was cut off by a loud sound.  
"What was that?" Saskiya asked.  
"I don't know," I said. "It sounded like a–" The sound came again.  
It was a gunshot.  
Tyler, Saskiya and I ran to the glass door of the café to peer outside. There was nobody with a gun to be seen, but everyone else was running around, looking for some place to hide. "We need to get out of here. The café's huge glass windows will let anyone see us." Tyler said pulling the door open. We started to run toward the nearest building, which happened to be the boy's dormitory.  
Suddenly, I was filled with concern. I thought about calling out to Tyler, but I saw him a few feet away, holding Saskiya's hand and leading her to the dormitory. They were almost at the door. I decided to run off and find Dylan myself.


	2. Chapter 2

II

Saskiya

It's so weird how an amazing day can turn into a day you want to forget. I was having fun spending my last day with Tyler before I left to Ohio for the holidays. We skipped a whole day of our lectures and instead crashed other lectures. Not important or boring ones like architecture or chemical engineering, but the fun ones, where we were always welcome, like drama or directing. I had so much fun, it was like falling in love all over again.  
Then we heard the gunshot.  
I grabbed Tyler's hand as soon as I heard the second shot. He squeezed it to reassure me, and didn't let go. Well, until I turned around and realized that Alexis wasn't following us. "Tyler!" I had to shout for him to hear me, because so many people were running around and screaming. "What?" he stopped in his tracks. "What's wrong?"  
"Alexis–" I didn't have to continue. His eyes widened as he turned around and scanned the crowd for her. He let go of my hand and walked back the way we came, looking around, shouting her name, stopping people to ask if they saw her. Most just ignored him and ran away. The rest said they didn't see her.  
I looked around myself, and found some luck when I asked a red headed girl named Rebecca if she had seen Alexis. "Yeah," she panted. "She was heading to the library."  
"Thank you so much." I said, relieved I at least knew where Alexis was. I turned to call out to Tyler, when I saw a familiar figure standing a few feet away. Looking at his straight, brown hair, which looked so much like Tyler's, I realized who it was.  
"Dylan!" I yelled. He didn't seem to hear me because he didn't turn around. I made a split second decision and decided to walk toward him. I called out to him as I surged forward. He didn't turn. The crowd of people was almost completely gone. All of them had taken cover, and I realized that I should have taken cover by now too. I removed unnecessary thoughts from my head and focused on getting to Dylan. I had almost reached him when he turned around. "Dylan! Come here!" I shouted once he laid eyes on me. I faintly heard someone call my name, but I ignored it because I saw Dylan's eyes widen. I was about to ask what was wrong, when I saw a man, dressed head to toe in black, grab Dylan.  
I wanted to scream, but my mouth was muffled by a cloth. Suddenly, everything went black and I realized that I was being blindfolded. My arms were bound by rope and then I was picked up, and was only set down after 10 minutes. I didn't hear anything along the way. No talking, no screaming, not even the birds chirping.  
I landed on the floor pretty rough and scraped my arm on something cold, and hard. The rope on my hands were removed and so was my blindfold. As my vision went from blurry to clear, I was able to make out that I was in one of the class rooms. I didn't know which one since all of them are pretty much identical, but after looking at all the posters, which had things like the periodic table, covalent bonds, esters, and some other chemistry related things, I was able to identify that we were definitely in the science block.  
Now I just had to figure out which class we were in. I noticed there were around 20 people in the room, one of them was Dylan, who was sitting right beside me. All of the others were huddled against a wall or huddled with someone. I moved closer to Dylan.  
The two men who dragged Dylan and me here were still in the room. After five minutes of talking, one of them left the room and locked it from the outside. The other one sat by the only window in the room – which was a huge one too – with a rifle in his hand. I whispered to Dylan. "Are you okay?" He nodded his head, but looked like he was in shock. "What's wrong?" I asked. He didn't reply. He just stared at something in front of him. I followed his gaze to the centre of the room, and gasped at what I saw. Lying on the floor, in a pool of his own blood, was Brandon.


	3. Chapter 3

III

Alexis

"Dylan!" I whispered once I was in the library. I knew it was useless, but I called out to him anyways. I decided to search in the library first, because whenever Dylan comes to pick up Tyler and me, he always finds me in the library, where I'm usually deep into a book. I figured he might've been searching for me here when the gun went off, but my guess turned out to be wrong, since I searched everywhere in the library and he was nowhere to be found. I hoped that he had escaped once the first shot went off so he wouldn't be caught in any of this. I realized that I should probably hide out here in the library, since nobody else was to be seen outside, meaning that they had all already hidden. I was about to sit down next to a shelf of books, when I remembered something.  
Nathan was in the freezer room.  
I knew I couldn't leave the library, since I was most likely to get caught by whoever shot the gun, but I knew that I definitely could not leave Nathan alone in the freezer room where, even if the cops showed up, he would die because of the cold. I ran down the steps two at a time to get to the door of the library. I opened it slowly and looked around. The area looked like a ghost town. The street lights weren't on, so the whole place was lit up by the light from the moon.  
Nobody was around, and nobody was to be heard. The cafeteria was nearby, so I figured I'd have to take my chances and run to it. After counting to five, that's exactly what I did. I don't know if people that were hiding could see me or not, but I wasn't caught by anyone, so I arrived at the cafeteria relieved. I slowly made my way across to the freezer room, walking only on my toes in case anyone with a gun was here, waiting for a victim. Once I reached the freezer room, I saw that it was open. For a second, I had a feeling that Nathan might not be inside, but I went toward it anyways.  
I stood outside, and peered into the room. A few of the shelves were knocked over, and some broken. There were white boxes lying around all over the room. I wondered if Nathan got caught, or if he made the mess to make it look like someone was there but was taken away. I slowly walked into the room, looking left and right in case someone was actually here, when suddenly I heard a sound from behind me. The door to the freezer room slammed shut and as I turned around, I saw Nathan, with a long metal rod he must have broken off one of the shelves. He was about to slash forward when he recognized who I was. I moved back instinctively just as Nathan pulled his arms back. His expression was troubled and confused. "_Alexis?_"  
I didn't know what to say. I just nodded my head.  
"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be hiding out!" he almost shouted.  
"Well, I was going to, but then I remembered that Dylan was in the campus, and so I went to look for him. I didn't find him. I decided to hide out in the library but then remembered you were here in the freezer room, so I took my chances and came here to see if you were here."  
He let the metal rod drop to the floor. "You stupid girl." He said angrily. His words stung. "Why would you do that? What if you had gotten caught? What if something had happened?"  
"Well, nothing happened." I argued.  
"I wouldn't say nothing. I was hiding out here in case the guy with the gun came here. I was prepared to whack him in the head and knock him out."  
"But then you would be trapped in here." I pointed out.  
"Well yeah, but at least everyone else would be fine."  
"What if there was more than one?"  
"Well something is better than nothing Alex, and now we don't even have that. We're just trapped."  
"I'm sorry. I was just worried."  
He sank to the floor and put his head in his hands. "Does Tyler know where you are?"  
"No. I couldn't tell him I was going to find Dylan because he was too far away. He's safe though, with Saskiya, in the boy's dormitory."  
"At least they're safe."  
The room was quiet after that, and I figured Nathan was still angry, so I went to the other side of the room and sat down. I pulled my legs closer to me, and lay my head on top of them. After a while, I heard Nathan get up and walk over to me. I didn't look up as he sat beside me. "Sorry I freaked out on you. I just don't want anything to happen to you."  
"I don't want anything to happen to you either, Nate. That's why I came." I still didn't lift my head.  
"I understand that. But I still wish you didn't come." My face felt hot, and it felt like there was a lump in my throat. I shivered from the cold and finally lifted my head to rub my hands together. I didn't realize that tears had come out of my eyes, until Nathan looked at me and said, "Are you crying?"  
I quickly wiped my eyes and muttered, "No." Nathan leaned forward to get a better view of my face. "Oh my gosh. Alexis Hawthorne is actually crying. I have the privilege of witnessing such a rare sight!"  
I wasn't in the mood for his jokes and sarcasm. In fact I was feeling even more frustrated, so a few more tears escaped, and I cursed my eyes for it. "Okay," Nathan said. "You used to laugh at that. I guess making you laugh isn't going to help this time."  
"Do you really think that this is the time to laugh?" I said through clenched teeth, suddenly angry. "I can't find my brother, we're stuck here in this freezer room, which just might be the place we die, and you're mad at me because _I tried to find you_."  
He was silent for a while, until he found the right words to say, "Well, just for the record, in case we do die here, I'm glad it's with you rather than some unconscious terrorist." At that, I had to smile. I leaned over and wrapped my arms around him. After a moment, he returned the hug. "I'm sure your brother is fine." he whispered into my hair. I nodded, thankful for the reassurance. I pulled back and lay my head on his shoulder. "Oh, and I'm not mad at you. I'm quite flattered actually."  
"Yeah right. It's too late to hide your feelings."  
"I was afraid you were going to say that." He muttered.  
"Nate?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Have you ever been in love?"  
"What are you talking about? I've had tons of girlfriends."  
"I know that, but wasn't there anyone you were serious about? Someone who you didn't want to just play around with, but actually cared about?"  
"Well, I cared about all of the girls I dated. I just wasn't interested in a serious relationship."  
"So, the answer to my question is…?"  
"No, I've never been in love. I'm really just waiting to find the right person."  
"So you've considered it."  
"Well yeah. I don't _want _to play around with girls. I actually have thought of my future and settling down with a girl I love."  
"I never would've guessed."  
"Really?"  
"Nah. I would've totally guessed it. I know you too well." I smiled.  
"You should get some sleep. It's been a long, tiresome day." He said looking away.  
"Like anyone can get any sleep in this situation. Besides, it's too cold to sleep." I complained. Nathan sat up straight and began to take off his jacket. "No." I said. "You are not taking off your jacket so I'll feel warm and you're left to die in the cold like in _Titanic_."  
"That doesn't happen in Titanic."  
"Well, he makes sure she's not in the water, so she can't freeze, yet he's in the water himself, when clearly there is so much room left on the driftwood for him too. The situation is similar and it's just not fair."  
"Nobody said life was fair. Relax though," he chuckled, shrugging his hands out of the sleeves of his jacket. "Luckily, you're pretty small. So the jacket's big enough to cover both of us. You'll feel warmer, and I won't die. It's a win-win situation." I remained still as he draped the jacket around us. It was still cold, but much better than before. He kept an arm around me, and I wrapped my arms around him, to keep both of us warmer. I let my head rest on his shoulder, and tried to fall asleep. It took a while but I finally managed. The last thing I remember before drifting off, was Nathan running a hand through my hair, which was something only my mom used to do, to get me to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

IV

Saskiya

It was sometime at night, and there were two men with rifles in the room now. Brandon's body was taken out of the room, but there were still blood stains on the tiles of the floor. Some of the people in the room had fallen asleep, but most were too scared. Dylan and I sat huddled in one corner of the room. He seemed much better than before. Brandon was his best friend, and seeing him like that must have left a huge scar. "Are you feeling better now?" I asked him. He nodded. "What about you?"  
"I'm okay I guess. Well, as okay as I can be given the situation." We talked for a while, about Brandon, and about what we would do once all this was over. After some time, when almost everyone was asleep now, I suggested we sleep too. The room wasn't that cold, so we took of our jackets and folded them so we could use them as pillows. We put them down next to each other and laid down to sleep. It was silent for a while. The only sounds in the room were the whispers of people who were still awake and of the two men sitting by the window. Suddenly, Dylan whispered, "Tyler was shouting your name you know."  
"What?" I was surprised to hear this. I knew I heard someone call me, but I didn't realize it was Tyler. I turned to look at Dylan.  
"Yeah. He was shouting out to you. I saw him. I wanted to tell you to go to him, but I saw the man nearby and I thought that if I had shouted out, it might have endangered Tyler, because then they would know where he was hiding out, and that more people might be with him."  
"Thank you." I whispered.  
"Well, he's my brother. I don't want anything happening to him."  
I nodded.  
"What about Lexi?" he asked.  
"Um, she was following us, but then when I turned around, she wasn't anywhere to be seen. I asked someone whether they had seen her or not, and they said that she had headed to the library. I don't know why though. Maybe she wanted to hide out or–"  
"No. She was looking for me." Dylan cut in.  
"What? How do you know?"  
"Because that's where I meet her whenever I come here. She must've thought I would be waiting for her there."  
"Well, on the bright side, at least we know that she's hiding out there."  
"Yeah. Alone. And there are probably more of them." he pointed to the two men dressed in black. "This is a university, which means that a lot of them are needed if they want to control the whole campus. They may have chosen the library as another room to hold hostages and my sister could be one of them."  
"It sounds to me as if you're blaming yourself."  
"Well, at this point, does it really matter?"


	5. Chapter 5

V

Alexis

_"__Alex. Alex!" Nathan whispered in my ear. I opened my eyes and sat up to face him. "What's wrong?" I asked. He put a finger to his lips. "Listen."  
So I did, and I heard footsteps. They were approaching our room. Suddenly the door burst open, and there were three men, all dressed in black. The only part of their body that could be seen were their eyes. They each held a gun and they were pointing at us. I gripped Nathan's hand for reassurance and he didn't let go of it. Neither of us spoke. We knew what was going to happen. We just braced ourselves. I kept my eyes closed as the gunshot went off._

My eyes snapped open as I woke up. I bolted upright and looked around the room. Nathan was asleep, his head resting against one of the shelves. I quickly took off my gloves and lifted his head. I placed the gloves on the shelf and lay his head back down, so his head would be cushioned and away from the cold. I stood up and walked around the room to stretch my legs. I couldn't stop thinking about my dream, and the silence wasn't helping my dilemma, since all I could do right now was think. After a while, I got the feeling that I was being watched. I turned around and saw that Nathan was awake. "How long have you been up?"  
"Five minutes, I guess."  
"So you decided to stare at me and freak me out rather than say, 'Hey Alex, I'm awake! You can stop walking around the room now.'"  
"Well, as much as I hate to admit it, you _do _look very pretty right now."  
"I don't know if I'm supposed to be flattered or suspicious."  
"Flattered." He said matter-of-factly.  
"Really? So I'm not supposed to think anything is wrong if you call me pretty once I've just woken up and when my hair is probably a rat's nest?"  
"Well, when you put it like that, it makes me sound bad. I'm telling you the truth though. Although, I was also waiting to see if you'd do something embarrassing." he grinned.  
"I knew there was something else." I snapped my fingers. He chuckled. "Thanks for giving me a pillow. Although, I don't want your fingers freezing, so you can wear them now." He took the gloves from the shelf and handed them to me. "Thanks." I muttered as I put them on. I went and sat next to him and he immediately put an arm around me. "You know, we probably won't last another few hours." I nodded my head in agreement. "We're going to be frozen statues."  
"Hey, at least we can get into museums for free."  
I shook my head. "You only get into a museum as a statue if you've done something great or memorable in your life."  
"Well, I'll get in for sure."  
"And why would that be?"  
"Because I've got good looks. People would pay to drool at my sight."  
"Hey, maybe if you're lucky, one of your ex-girlfriends will buy you or steal you and just keep you in their room to torture you every day."  
He stared at me. "How can you look so cute and innocent, yet have such dark thoughts?"  
I shrugged. "It's a gift."  
He shook his head. "I think you're the only girl I will never be able to understand."  
"You don't understand all other girls." I accused.  
"Of course I do. I've come across four different types of girls. Number 1, girls who stay with you for your money." Nathan came from a wealthy family, and as the only son, he would inherit all of his family's fortune. "Number 2," he continued. "Girls who are promiscuous. Number 3, girls who want to be treated as an equal, and finally Number 4, girls who like you for who you truly are."  
"Wow, you must have dated a lot of girls to narrow all this down to just four categories."  
"I'm going to ignore that comment."  
"So, under which category do I fall?" I asked curiously.  
"That's what I can't figure out. You might be Number 4, but at the same time, you're also a Number 3."  
"So I like people for who they truly are _and _I want to be treated as an equal?"  
"Well, yeah. You threw a fit when you found out you couldn't join the soccer team in high school just because you were a girl."  
"Okay, that covers Number 3, but what about Number 4?"  
"Well, all the guys you dated were kind of lame, but you didn't really care. You were thinking you were lucky to have them in your life. You look only at the good in people, even if the bad in them is what's the most visible."  
"Well, that's not exactly liking people for who they are."  
"Yeah, that's why I said I can't figure you out."  
"Well I guess it doesn't matter now."  
We stayed silent for what seemed like 2 hours, and by then, both of us couldn't handle the cold anymore. We were both shivering, so we decided that the best way to keep warm was to huddle up together. Nate suggested that we cuddle, but I was so cold, I couldn't get a laugh to escape my mouth. We sat there, not talking, and once I estimated that we had about an hour more to live, I decided to break the silence. "Okay, t-truth time." I stuttered. My teeth were chattering uncontrollably. Apparently, Nathan's were too. "W-what do you mean?"  
"Anything y-you've ever wanted to s-say to me, say it now, and then I'll d-do the same." I rubbed my hands together and hoped my fingers wouldn't fall off.  
"You g-go first." He muttered.  
"Okay." I inched closer to him – well as close as I could get since we were already practically glued together – and thought of what to say. "Remember that one t-time, I think it was a few w-weeks after I had met you, I asked you if you had a g-girlfriend."  
He nodded.  
"W-well, it was because I had a c-crush on you."  
He looked at me. "Seriously?" I nodded. "I thought y-you would b-be the only girl who would have n-never fallen for my looks." He sounded disappointed.  
"I didn't f-fall for your looks. I mean y-yes you're hot but I fell for you because I liked your p-personality. I l-liked you for who y-you are."  
"So maybe you d-do belong in N-Number 4." He smiled.  
I chuckled. "Okay, y-your turn."  
"I don't know w-why, but I've always felt p-protective of you. Maybe it was hanging out with T-Tyler too much, but I can't even sleep if I know you're on a d-date with some d-douchebag." he declared.  
"What if the guy w-wasn't a d-douchebag?"  
"Any guy you date, other than m-me, is a douchebag."  
I knew Nathan was a flirt, but his words stuck in my head. _Was he implying that I should've dated him?  
_ I was about to reply, but Nathan cut me off. "Hey," he said. "D-do you hear that?"  
I had a vague feeling of Déjà vu. "I don't hear anything."  
He put up a finger to his lips. "Listen." I was afraid of what I would hear. It seemed like my dream was just a prediction. Nevertheless, I managed to stay silent long enough to hear footsteps.  
And they were approaching the freezer room.  
"Nate, d-don't listen." I pleaded.  
"Wait, m-maybe I could stand behind the door again. It m-might work this time." he whispered.  
"N-no, Nate, it isn't going to work–"  
"W-well, we don't have anything to l-lose!"  
He quickly rose to his feet and went over to the door to retrieve the metal rod he had almost whacked me with earlier. "Okay, s-so I'll stay here, and when the d-door opens, you stand in the c-centre of the room so whoever it is will get l-lured in. Then I'll attack." The footsteps were getting closer now, and I didn't want the last few minutes of my life to be wasted acting as a decoy, yet at the same time, there was a tiny part of me that was screaming, "The plan is going to work!"  
The footsteps were just outside the door now. I rose to my feet and moved to stand at the centre of the room. The handle of the door was pushed down and the door swung open to reveal a familiar looking person. He was holding a pistol in his hand and it was aimed right at me, but once we made eye contact, he lowered his arms. Warmth spread across his face, and I could see the relief in his eyes. "T-Tyler?" I almost shouted. I could see Nathan's surprised expression from the corner of my eye. He dropped the metal rod – like he had done when his plan failed the first time – and came out from behind the door. "Tyler?" he gasped. Once the momentary shock had faded, I ran across the room to my brother and practically jumped on him. He caught me with his arms wide open like he used to do when I was a kid and had just come home from school, except this time, it was more out of relief than for fun.  
I gripped on to him tight, like I was scared that if I let go, I would never see him again. After a while we pulled apart and he went over and hugged a still shocked Nathan. "W-we thought we were g-going to die in here man." Nathan told him once they pulled apart. "Y-yeah" I said. "I was p-pretty sure I wasn't g-going to see you again."  
"Well, you did." He replied, ruffling my hair. I didn't mind this time. He could've done it as much as he wanted and I would just be glad he was with me. "Now come on, let's get you guys out of here." Before we could head out, Nathan said, "Wait." And ran over to one of the shelves. He grabbed a white container and trudged back to us. "Okay. Now let's go."

Tyler led us back to the boy's dormitory by taking a shortcut through back alleys. It was much quicker and safer than getting there by walking through the main streets. We reached in about five minutes and Tyler had to do some secret knock before we were allowed to enter. Inside, the hallways were a mess of broken wood and sleeping bags. There was a table in the centre that consisted of piles of containers – which I assumed had food in it – and bottles of water and coke. Two people, wrapped in sleeping bags to keep warm, were sitting a few feet from the table.  
I recognized a girl called Rebecca from my advanced fiction writing class. She was pretty much a bookworm, and sometimes reminded me of Velma from the Scooby Doo series. She had a bob cut and wore glasses. The only different thing about her was that she was a little chubbier and she had red hair. She was sitting next to a blonde girl, her best friend Carol, who wore glasses, just like her, and had very frizzy hair. The both of them seemed to be deep in conversation. Along the way, I realized that I didn't see Saskiya, and Tyler never mentioned anything about her either. I decided I would wait until we were alone to ask him about it.  
He turned to Nathan and I and said, "Well, this is our only safe haven for now, because I don't think anybody knows we're here. We managed to get some people to volunteer to get food from the cafeteria, so that's piled up over there," he pointing to the table.  
Nathan went over and set down the tub of ice cream on the table to add to the piles of food containers. "Bathrooms are down each hall, right at the end," Tyler continued. "And as for sleeping, pick any room you like. There are two beds in each room. Try and stay on this floor though. It will be easier to keep track of people. I'll explain all about the watch duty and etcetera tomorrow, once you've had a nice, warm sleep. Piece of advice? My room is the warmest." I nodded my head and looked up at Nathan just as Tyler went off toward Rebecca and the other girl. They must be on watch duty.  
"Tyler's room?" I asked Nathan.  
"Yeah," he said. "Well, technically, it's my room too. Come on, I'll show you where it is." He took my hand and led me down a corridor. The corridors each had five rooms, and his room was the third, which meant that it was equally as far from the bathroom as it is from the entrance. He pushed open the door and I followed him inside. The room was unsurprisingly neat. The one thing different between me and Tyler is that I can live in a messy room whereas he can't stand it. I could tell he had been here just by looking at the state of the room.  
There were posters of rock bands all over the walls, there were two desks, each with a laptop on them, and there were two beds – one against the wall, and the other just perpendicular to the bed frame of the first bed. I assumed that the bed arrangement was done by themselves and that the bed near the wall was Tyler's since it had been made neatly and the one perpendicular to that would've been Nathan's since it was closest to the window and he would use it either for a better Wi-Fi signal or for staring at girls who walk by. I went over to the bed I assumed was Tyler's and sat down. Nathan walked over to a cupboard that was against the wall, near the window.  
"Need a spare change of clothes?" He asked.  
"I don't think so." I said, although, I was wishing for my hoodie and sweatpants. Nathan must have read my expression, because he reached into his cupboard and pulled out a grey sweatshirt and black track pants and tossed them in my direction. I didn't ask him how he knew. I just muttered a thank you and went to the bathroom to change my clothes. The track pant was way too long for me since I was pretty short, and the sweatshirt was huge and baggy. Nevertheless, it was comfortable and warm, so I didn't have any complaints. I went back to the room and saw that Nathan had changed into a dark blue hoodie and sweatpants. I tossed my clothes onto the floor near one of the desks and climbed into Tyler's bed. Nathan looked around the room and then at me.  
"Well, there's a stash of magazines in my cupboard in case you get bored or can't sleep. Don't worry, they aren't the kind of magazines you're thinking of. There's also an extra blanket in there so you can grab it if you still feel cold. I'll be in the next room, so you can just shout for me if you need anything."  
I nodded my head, then hesitated. I didn't want to be alone, especially not now. "Nate?" I asked as he opened the door to leave the room. He turned around. "Will you stay here with me until I fall asleep?" He looked a little startled but then nodded, closing the door. "Um, yeah. Sure." I laid back down, snuggled in the blanket, and shifted a little to the left so there would be more room for him. He got onto the bed, but didn't cover himself with the blanket. He stared up at the wall, and I wondered what he was thinking about.  
"I can't sleep." I mumbled into the pillow after a few minutes of silence. His head turned to face me. "Well, how may I help you drift off into dream world?" A small grin began to spread across his face. I had an idea. "Sing me a lullaby."  
"You've got to be kidding."  
I shook my head.  
"The last time I sang to you was when you were twelve. I don't remember any of those songs anymore."  
I sighed. "It doesn't have to be an actual lullaby. Just something that will help me fall asleep."  
"How about I tell you a story instead?"  
"Yeah, I guess." I was a little disappointed though.  
"I'll sing tomorrow, once I find my guitar. I know it's somewhere around here."  
"Well, go ahead. Start the story." I urged.  
"Okay. Have I ever told you about Gianna?"  
"Gianna Preston? The crazy one who was obsessed with your eyes?"  
"No, I never dated her. She was just obsessed. I'm talking about Gianna Hemlock."  
"Nope. Never heard of her."  
"Well, she's probably the weirdest girl I've dated, yet at the same time, probably the hottest too."  
"Why was she weird?"  
"She keeps a collection of mementos from her ex-boyfriends."  
"That's weird for you?"  
"No. The weird part was that she kept those mementos to practice voodoo."  
"No way."  
He nodded his head. "I think we went on only that one date. I have to admit though, she's got guts. Nobody would actually mention something like that on a first date. That would drive the person away."  
"Yeah, she probably wanted to know if her date would like her for who she really is." I used his dialogue on reverse. "Oh and by the way, that wasn't a story."  
"Well, I'm sorry, but I think by now I've told you all the stories I know."  
I yawned. "Oh, well I guess whatever I told you actually worked." Nathan said. "You're feeling sleepy."  
"Yeah, you bored me to sleep." I joked. "Well, see you tomorrow." I said, as I slowly dozed off. All I remember was falling asleep with Nathan beside me and when I woke up, he was gone. Yet somehow, I knew that I wasn't alone in the room.


	6. Chapter 6

VI

Saskiya

I wish I could say that I woke up to the sound of birds chirping, and to the sunlight streaming through the window, but my wakeup call was a terrible sobbing from one of the girls nearby.  
I sat up straight and saw that Dylan was still asleep I knew that Tyler, Alexis and Dylan were all heavy sleepers, but anyone would have woken up with this. I wondered how Dylan could still sleep. Almost everyone else in the room was awake though. I looked to my right and spotted the girl who was crying. Her eyes, which may have once been a bright grey, were now dull, the only shine coming from the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks. She was clinging to a man who seemed to be stroking her hair, trying to calm her down. I recognized the man as Professor Carmichael. He taught anthropology. I couldn't recognize the woman, but I was trying to figure out what the reason was behind her wailing. I looked around and the two men who were there earlier were now replaced with three mean, all different. They didn't have rifles though. Instead they carried pistols in the waistband of their jeans. Like the other men, they were completely covered in black. They were ignoring the whole scene. They only looked irritated. I assumed that she was just a bit traumatized. We all were but only some people really show it. She calmed down after a while and went to the window to get some air. The three men watched her until she sat down and then they relaxed. It seemed almost as if they didn't want to shoot anyone. Suddenly I had an idea.  
I got up and slowly walked toward the window. "Where do you think you're going?" Said one of the men in black.  
"Um, to get some air." I replied.  
"Why? You aren't having a nervous breakdown too are ya?" He had a slight southern accent.  
"No, I just… It's too stuffy in here." I tried to hide my nervousness.  
"Make it quick." Another man responded after a few seconds of silence.  
I hurried to the window and slid it open. I stuck my head outside and closed my eyes. It felt good to feel the chilly wind on my face, and the tiny sting from the snowflakes hitting my skin. Immediately I opened my eyes. _I have to figure out where we are_, I thought to myself, _if I can do that, I might be able to tell someone._ I looked around outside for something that could help me figure out which class I was in. A lot of trees. Most of which didn't have leaves, so I couldn't make out if there were any recognizable trees. There was a fountain which had a mermaid, and there are six of the same fountain around the whole campus. I would have to find something else to pinpoint my exact location. Just when I saw it, someone yelled, "Alright, you've had enough air. Go back to your seat." I was pulled back and the window was slammed shut. I stood up and walked back to where Dylan was. He was awake now and I sat down to tell him my plan.  
"What exactly were you doing?" he asked once I sat down.  
"I was trying to figure out which class room we're in."  
"Something could've happened to you!" He almost shouted.  
"Shh! Keep it down!" I put my finger to my lips. "Look, I looked around outside and saw that there was a mermaid fountain near the window."  
"Yeah, so? There are more of those around campus." Dylan cut in.  
"I haven't finished."  
"Right, sorry. Go on."  
"Yeah, so there are six around campus, and only four out of the six are anywhere near the class rooms."  
"Keep going."  
"Well, I looked closely and there was also a bench near the fountain which is a so called 'lovers spot'. There are only two of those in the whole campus that are actually near the mermaid fountains, and both are in front of chemistry class rooms."  
"So how can you tell where we are?"  
"I'm getting to that. On my first day here, I sat on one of those benches and inscribed the letters 'SW' and 'TH' on the arm rest of the bench. It's visible from only the class it's placed in front of, and I know this because I have been in that class to meet Tyler."  
"So, we're in that class?"  
"Nope we're in the other one. If it was this one, I would have remembered coming into this class before once my blindfold was off."  
"But are you absolutely sure?"  
"No," I admitted. "But it's our best bet."  
Dylan nodded. "How are we going to tell anyone though?"  
I thought for a while and a shocking thought came to my mind. "Hey Dylan, when they bought us here, they didn't check us did they?"  
"No, I guess they didn't. Why?"  
I reached into my back pocket, cursing myself for not thinking about this before, and pulled out my cell phone. I quickly typed in the location of our whereabouts and sent the message. I hoped my assumptions were right. Before anyone saw, I slipped the phone back into my pocket. "Something isn't right." Dylan said.  
"What do you mean?"  
"They didn't even check us for our phones. They only shoot people who threaten them – until now, only one person did that. They don't look or act like actual shooters or even like they planned this whole thing out properly."  
"Well, maybe–" I was cut off by a loud buzzing sound. Only when everyone was staring at me did I realize that the buzzing sound was coming from me. _Crap. I didn't switch my phone off. _ One of the men came over and held out his hand. I didn't have to ask. I knew I was meant to hand over the phone, although luckily, the sent box doesn't save the message that are sent. Thank God for SMS settings.  
"If those were real terrorists, you would've been dead by now." Dylan whispered.  
"I don't know if I'm supposed to be happy about that or not." I admit.  
"Well, I guess we just have to wait and find out if we're in the place you think we are or not."


	7. Chapter 7

VII

Alexis

An armchair from the corner of the room was pulled up beside my bed and in it sat Tyler. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "Did you intend on freaking me out?" I asked.  
He gave a slight chuckle. "I couldn't sleep."  
"Is this about Saskiya?" I suddenly felt cold so I wrapped the blanket around myself.  
He nodded. "Well, that and I wasn't really comfortable with you sleeping in here with a boy, even if it is Nate."  
"Aw, you _do_ care." I smiled. "Relax, I only asked him to stay until I fell asleep."  
"I know. When I entered the room I had a mini heart attack. He explained everything. I told him to go sleep, and since I couldn't sleep, I decided I could at least spend my time doing something useful."  
"This is useful?"  
"Of course. I'm looking after you aren't I?"  
"Well, now that we're alone, I can ask you. Where's Saskiya?"  
He didn't respond for a while. "She was taken."  
"Wait, how–"  
"When we were heading to the dormitory after the second gun went off, she turned around and noticed you weren't there. She told me and I ran around searching for you. She did the same, except in the opposite direction. When I turned around to find out if she had any luck, I saw her walking towards someone. It was Dylan."  
"_Dylan? _I was hoping he would escape this whole situation, and now I find out he was here for everything."  
He nodded, his eyes red. "She was calling to him but of course, he didn't turn." This I could understand, because it was something only Dylan, Tyler, my dad, Nathan and I knew. Dylan was deaf since birth. As he grew older, he got better at lip reading, and since we were struggling with money, he refused to get hearing aids. He also insisted that nobody know about his condition, so we didn't tell anyone. Not even Saskiya knew. Nathan only found out because he was babysitting Dylan and me with Tyler once my mom died. He kept telling Tyler that something was wrong with Dylan and that whenever he calls out to him, he wouldn't respond. He was almost about to take Dylan to a hospital himself when Tyler finally told him the truth. Dylan wasn't upset to find out that Nathan knew though. After all the babysitting and playing video games together, they grew really close, so Dylan really trusts him now.  
Tyler continued. "So, she continued to walk toward him. I called out to her. I shouted in fact. It was almost as if she was so focused on getting to Dylan that she didn't even hear me. Finally Dylan turned around, but before he could say anything, I saw two men dressed in black, carry them away. I wanted to run after them, but I knew that if I did that, then there wouldn't be anyone else willing to help them, and get them out of there. I thought you would be there too, so I had more motivation to try and figure out how to get the three of you out of there. Then, once all of the people who were hiding out in the dormitory got together, I realized that Nathan must still be in the freezer room. I didn't send anyone to get him. I wanted to go myself. So I did. You can imagine my surprise and relief once I saw you there too. For a moment, it felt like we were kids again, you know, when I had first met Nathan. Then, while I was sitting here watching you, I got a message. From Saskiya. She said that she was in my chemistry class. After that I tried calling her, and it was such a stupid thing to do. I feel like killing myself for it. I forgot she was a hostage. They would've taken her phone once they heard it ring, and now we have no more contact with her."  
I stayed silent for a while, absorbing everything. "There are many chemistry classes though." I said. "How do we know which one she's in?"  
"I attend two chemistry classes, and Saskiya meets me in only one of them every Tuesday."  
"So how do we know which one of those two classrooms she is in?"  
"She refers to the classroom she's been in as 'our class' because that's the only one of my classes she's been in. In the text message though, she said 'my classroom'. I know for sure that she's in the other one."  
"Wow. Smart."  
"Yeah, well, not really. If they read the message she sent me, they might figure out that there are people hiding out and that we're planning something against them. They could've changed rooms."  
"Well, to be honest, I don't think anyone has an imagination like yours."  
"Like mine? Look who's talking."  
I decided to change the subject. "I'm hungry. Can we go get something to eat?"  
Tyler's expression changed and he seemed concerned now. "I forgot you haven't eaten anything in almost a day. Go brush your teeth. I'll go wake up Nate and we'll get you two some breakfast."  
"Um, I don't have a toothbrush."  
"Oh. Right." He got up from the armchair and went over to a cupboard. He rummaged around until he found a toothbrush inside an unopened packet. He tossed it to me. "Be out in a few minutes. You can take a shower too if there's power to heat up the water." With that he left.  
I headed to the bathroom with a towel I found in one of the cupboards. Unfortunately there wasn't any power so I decided to wait for a while and see if the power comes. The water in the taps was freezing cold so even washing my face made me feel like my whole face was frozen stiff. Once I finished, I headed back to the room. Despite wearing a thick sweatshirt, I was still shivering, so I grabbed a hoodie that was lying on the chair – It was Tyler's I think – and put it on. After that, I headed out into the hallway. The two girls that were in sleeping bags the previous night were replaced by two guys who were playing a card game. Tyler and Nathan, who had both changed from their pyjamas, were seated near the table full of food. I took a seat beside them. "Good morning."  
"Morning." Nathan replied with a smile.  
"What's for breakfast?" I asked.  
Tyler passed me a container with waffles.  
I looked at the waffles and then at him. "These aren't still frozen right?"  
"Nope."  
"How did you cook them?"  
"Lexi, did it ever occur to you that we _do_ know how to make a fire?"  
I shrugged and started to scarf down my food. Nathan did the same. Once we were done, Tyler started to explain things. "Okay, so there are four floors. We are on the second. The first is below, and there are two more above. There are three guards on duty on every floor except this one. On this floor there are only two since everyone sleeps on this floor and two is probably enough. Everyone takes shifts. There are a total of 16 people here, including you two. By the way Lexi, there are only 3 girls here, including you, so unless you're friends with Rebecca and Carol, I suggest you stay near Nathan or me."  
"Not that they're actually harmless," Nathan added. "Anyways, Alex is one of the toughest girls I've seen. She could even take on some of the guys here."  
"Oh please. You're exaggerating." I warn him.  
He chuckles. "Yeah, you're right. But you _can_ beat up a lot of girls."  
I roll my eyes.  
"Back to the main topic at hand," Tyler speaks up. "Each shift is 4 hours, and even once your shift is up, don't move until someone comes to relieve you. You know where the food is kept, and well, as for weapons, we can only make use of what's around us."  
Nathan nodded. "And what about the plan?"  
"What plan?" I asked.  
"About getting the hostages." Tyler answered. "We're still working on it, but it should be confirmed by the evening and if so, we can carry it out tonight."  
"And that is very unlikely." Nathan added.  
"You're such an optimist Nathan." I said.  
He narrowed his eyes. "Don't use sarcasm on me. I invented sarcasm."  
"Well, unless–"  
"Break it up." Tyler said holding his hands out. "We've got more important issues to deal with. Right now, Rebecca and Carol are working on our plan, and I should go meet them to see what they've come up with. You two have guard duty in another hour on the top floor, so be ready soon. Take your showers or whatever – if you're sure you won't freeze to death – and then head upstairs to relieve whoever is currently on duty."  
It amazed me, how in such a condition, with our brother and his girlfriend captured as hostages, and only us trying to save them, he could remain calm. Maybe it was just an act to try and lift our spirits and try to be calm too, but whatever it is, it was working. He was a natural leader and I admired his behaviour.  
"Wait," Nathan said. "Who's the third person coming up with us?"  
"Well, since many others have their own tasks to complete, I'll be sending the only person who isn't preoccupied at the moment, and that is–" He stopped abruptly to point at a person emerging from one of the rooms. He had spiky blond hair and eyes that were a very light shade of brown. He was tall, but not as tall as Tyler. Probably the same height as Nathan. As he got closer I recognized him. His name was Elijah. He was the closest friend I had in Biology class. I was happy to know he was safe in here with us, and I gave him a small smile as he approached and came to a stop in front of us. He returned the smile without saying a word. However, when I looked at Nathan, he seemed to have a scowl on his face. His eyes looked like a brighter, more striking blue, but not out of happiness. It looked more like it was burning with anger.  
"Perfect timing Elijah. You're on guard duty with Nate and Alexis upstairs." Elijah nodded. Tyler turns to give me a one armed hug, and then lightly punches Nathan's shoulder. "See you guys in 4 hours. And remember, don't move until someone comes to relieve you." With that, he walked off.

"So when did you guys get here?" Elijah asked. We were seated by a window on the topmost floor. I looked away from the snow blizzard outside and focused on him. "Last night." I answered. "You've been here the whole time?"  
He nodded. "I never thought I would be in such a situation before, but here I am."  
Nathan snorted. "Well isn't that sad."  
I glared at him but he didn't notice. He was busy staring outside the window. Why was he acting so rude?  
Elijah didn't seem to notice his sour tone. Instead he changed the subject. "Tyler had a feeling you went searching for your brother. Is that true?"  
I nodded.  
"Well, did you find him?"  
Suddenly, I wished he hadn't changed the topic. Before I could reply, Nathan said, "Does it look like she found him?"  
Elijah addressed him. "I didn't think that just because the weather is cold, the people have to be too."  
Nathan finally turned to face Elijah. "Well, you should know. I didn't think that question seemed like a very warm one."  
Elijah narrowed his eyes. "Look, I don't know what your problem is, but lay off okay?"  
"Sure, as soon as you lay off her." He jerked his head in my direction.  
"Okay, this is getting out of hand. Could you both try and focus on wanting to destroy the enemy and not each other for at least another 3 hours?" I interrupted.  
Nathan turned back to the window. Elijah gave me a small smile. "Sorry." After that, the room was quiet for a long time. Nathan still had a scowl on his face and Elijah kept sneaking glances my way. After about 2 hours, he was still doing it, so I decided to confront him about it. "Okay, why do you keep looking at me?" I didn't mean for it to sound rude, so I smiled as I said it to make it look like I was humoured by the whole act. He gave a shy smile. "Just thinking."  
"About what?"  
"Well, if I were looking at you, what would I be thinking about?"  
"You know that sounds pretty inappropriate right?"  
"Right. Sorry. I didn't mean for it to sound that way."  
I chuckled. "How was it supposed to sound?"  
"Honestly, it was supposed to be flirty." He admitted.  
"You normally are quite the prince charming. What happened this time?"  
"Well, I guess I can't think straight if your beauty distracts me." He smiles.  
"Well, I guess I can't be blamed anymore since your charm seems to be working its magic again."  
"Really? It has an effect on you? You should've said something earlier. I would have used my charm a long time ago and earned a few things by now."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nathan spat out.  
"Nathan–" I started but got cut off.  
"What do you mean 'you would have earned a few things'?" He was looking at Elijah now. His eyes were filled with rage.  
"I meant I could maybe have gone on a few dates with her."  
"Is that what you meant? Or did you mean you could have gone on a few dates and gotten lucky?"  
"Nathan! What's wrong with you?" I almost yell. I've never seen him act like this.  
"Look, I would never do that." Elijah says defensively.  
"Yeah right. We stay in the same dormitory. You think I don't hear things about you?"  
"I would never do anything to Alexis." Elijah repeats.  
"I'm telling you this for your own good. Stay away from her."  
After a short pause, Elijah says, "Or else what?"  
By now, Nathan is unable to control his anger so he launches himself at Elijah. He manages to land a punch across his jaw before Elijah recovers from his shock and fights back.  
"Nathan! Get off of him!" I shout. "If anyone is lurking in the streets they're going to hear you. You're practically letting everyone know where we are!"  
They don't listen. They continue with their brawl. Elijah kicks Nathan off of him and rises to his feet. Just as quickly, Nathan rises to his feet and pounces again. They hit a wall hard, and I hear glass breaking. Nathan smashed Elijah into a picture frame. Luckily his body hit the frame, not his head, so no real damage was done. I decided shouting at them wasn't going to help so I ran across to try and stop the fight.  
Big mistake.  
I try and pull on Nathan's arm but he's too strong and I can't even get his hand to move. I duck out of the way as Elijah turns Nathan around and pins him against wall. Since Nathan is bending, his face scrapes against the picture frame and he gets a few cuts on his face from the glass. I figure that Elijah is easier to calm down so I try pulling at his arm. Instead of listening to me and pulling away from Nathan, he shoves me backward with so much force, I fall back and hit my forehead on the window sill. This seems to anger Nathan more and he gets a newfound strength. He whips around and pushes Elijah to the floor. He keeps punching him in the face until his nose in bleeding.  
Just then I hear voices shouting. "You were supposed to be on guard from the terrorists! Not terrorise each other!" I recognize the voice as Tyler's. I see a blurry image of my brother enter the room and pull Nathan off Elijah. Two other boys are with him. I figure that they are supposed to be next on guard duty.  
"I was getting ready to come up here and relieve you, and someone comes up to me saying they can hear weird noises from upstairs, like someone was being beaten up. I come up here and find this. This is not how you're supposed to be behaving. You're acting like kids! This isn't high school okay? Fight any other time you want, but do you even know the kind of situation we're in now? We could be killed any minute and you two are busy trying to kill each other! Get your acts together. Now go downstairs and stay in opposite corridors. I don't want to see the two of you together again. I'll change guard duty." Nathan and Elijah get up slowly and walk down the stairs. Tyler comes and kneels down in front of me. He touches my forehead and I feel a stinging pain. "What happened?" he asks gently.  
I explain everything, except the part about being shoved by Elijah. I know that if I say that, Tyler would probably get into a fist fight with him too.  
"And what happened to your head?"  
I think of an excuse. "I was trying to stop them and I slipped on the broken glass."  
"And you fell all the way over here?" I know he doesn't believe me, but I still nod my head.  
"Okay. Well, let's go get your forehead cleaned up and then we can talk."  
He helps me to my feet and says to the other two boys, "I'll send someone else for guard duty now. I'll come back up once I get my sister looked at." They nod and we head downstairs to one of the rooms. There are two bed, and Elijah and Nathan are seated on each. Elijah has a tissue up his nose and Nathan is being looked at by Carol.  
As soon as Nathan sees me he stands up, but Tyler puts up a hand and he sits back down. I am led to an armchair and once I sit down, Tyler says, "Hey Carol, I need you to take a look at Alexis." She nods her head. She cleans up Nathan's cuts and puts a few Band-Aids on, then turns her attention to me. Elijah leaves the room without saying a word, and even though Tyler says Nathan can leave too, he stays, without uttering a response. Carol cleans the blood from my forehead and hair and wipes some antiseptic where I got cut. I wonder where she got the medical supplies from, but then I remember that there must be a first aid kit in at least 1 out of 4 rooms. She wraps a gauze around my head so now I look like I have a serious head injury. "Thank you." I say to her before she leaves the room.  
Tyler approaches me. "I should go. I've got guard duty. You get some sleep. I'll meet you when you wake up, and then you can tell me how you _really_ injured your head. Also, we figured out a plan to save the hostages, but we're only going to discuss it tomorrow. You should be better by then. Don't leave your room, and if you do, make sure your with someone."  
"Relax Tyler. I'll be fine."  
He reaches out as if to ruffle my hair, but then looks at the gauze wrapped around my head and instead pulls me in for a hug. Then he mumbles a few words – which I can't hear – to Nathan before leaving. Nathan and I stand there for some time without speaking. I know I should ask for an explanation, but I can't bring myself to do it. Some part of me feels like I already know the answer.  
I decide to instead walk out of the room, but before I can do that, Nathan's hand shoots out and his fingers lace with mine. He pulls me back and I yank my hand free. He looks a little hurt but the expression doesn't last longer than a second. "I'm sorry." He says.  
"Sorry? For what exactly? Because I have no idea what brought on that behaviour. The Nathan I know would never do such a thing."  
"I don't like Elijah. You have no idea what he's like. He humps and dumps all the girls he's ever been with. You think I want that happening to you?"  
"You think I'm not smart enough to figure things out on my own? I wasn't interested in him. I never was. I don't see how it's any of your business anyways. Besides, you do the same thing to all the girls you meet."  
"I told you that I care about every girl I've ever dated. I don't do what Elijah does. You know me better than that."  
"So your trick is to go ahead and do whatever you want with a girl but wait a few weeks before dumping her so nobody will think you just used her. That's what you do, isn't it?"  
He hesitates. "I don't know what you're talking about–"  
"Oh please. I know about Alisa. I never wanted to say anything because I didn't think it was true, but now I know. God knows how many times you've been in similar situations with other girls."  
"How do you know it's true?"  
"Because of the way you're acting. You think that if you can make Elijah look like a terrible person, I might go easier on you when you finally told me the truth about what you did in high school."  
"Look, that was only one time, and I regretted doing it. High school was a horrible time for me okay. Once I came to college with Tyler, I became a new person.  
"You seem the same to me."  
"I mean I changed my attitude towards girls. I never treated them without respect from then on. And I have the most respect for you. I care about you okay? I don't want to see you mess things up with that guy."  
"Are you sure that's the only reason? You don't have any other reason to start up a fight with a stranger?"  
"He isn't a stranger! I told you, I know a lot of things about that guy."  
"Stop trying to act like you're the innocent one here. You started it so you probably have more of the blame than he does."  
"If you knew the truth, you wouldn't blame me." He says softly.  
"Yeah except you won't tell me the truth, so how can you expect me to understand?"  
"You want the truth?"  
"Yes I want the truth! All I ever want is–" I don't get to finish because at that moment Nathan puts his hands on either side of my face and kisses me. I'm shocked at first, so I don't really register what's happening. I don't pull away. I just stand there and let him kiss me. After a few seconds he pulls away. His cheeks are red, and I doubt it's because of the cold. He backs away slowly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have–" He doesn't finish. Instead he hurries out of the room, leaving me to wonder why he said sorry when I was the one who never stopped him.


	8. Chapter 8

VIII

Saskiya

I couldn't sleep. I was afraid that if I did, I would be plagued by nightmares. I was also afraid that someone might shoot my head off once my eyes were closed. I decided that if I stayed awake, I could not only protect myself, but Dylan too. He was asleep beside me, but he kept tossing and turning so I assumed he was either having a bad dream, or he wasn't comfortable. None of us can complain though. Comfort was the least of our worries.  
The room was silent. Almost everyone was asleep except for 2 teachers and myself. The silence wasn't good, because I kept thinking about many things at once. I kept wondering if the message was sent, and if so, what if Tyler was a hostage too? Maybe he was captured and kept in a different room? Then they would have seized his phone and his captors might not be as lenient as mine. I also got my hopes up and kept waiting for Tyler and a bunch of other people to burst through the door and rescue us. At one point I also remembered that Nathan was in the freezer room, so unless he managed to escape and get a hiding place, he was either taken hostage or frozen to death. I decided to not even think about the a few minutes, something happened that made me have much more to think about. The door burst open but Tyler wasn't the one who came. Instead there were two men dressed in black, and one dressed head to toe in an outfit that was such a dark shade of blue it looked black. For a second I wanted to laugh because it seemed that thy planned so much and at the last minute, they didn't have an extra black outfit, so they had to adjust to something similar. There's always a flaw in the system.  
"Alright," One of them said. "Everybody up!" He didn't have a gun in his hands. In fact, none of them had a gun in their hands, so we didn't have to feel threatened and listen to them, but we did anyways. I reached out and nudged Dylan's arm. He woke up with a start. "What's going on?" He asked rubbing his eyes. I pointed to the three new men that came. He silently got to his feet, not asking for a further explanation. I joined him and the man who spoke earlier said, "Okay, move out. And do it silently! We don't need to draw any attention."  
"From who?" The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself. His eyes scanned the room. "Who said that?"  
After a few seconds I raised my hand. He walked over to me and I braced myself for whatever was about to happen. Instead of harming me though, he simply said, "You've got guts to speak out like that. You're lucky I'm not like one of them," He nodded towards the other men. "Because if I was, then you might have been on the floor right now bleeding to death."  
"Well, that's the worst you can do isn't it? Kill me?" I know I should've shut up but I couldn't bring myself to do it.  
"I like your attitude. Just know that with anyone else, it might just get you in a situation where you will be begging for your death." He walks away and shouts for the people to move out faster. Dylan pokes me.  
"Was that necessary?"  
I look at him. "I couldn't stop myself. Besides, he deserves it."  
"Yeah, well, I don't think you would deserve the consequences if it happens again. Try and restrain yourself."  
"I will."  
We keep walking until we are in another class. I recognize this one. The room is round and there and long semi-circular desks that fill the classroom, enlarging as the room gets bigger from front to back. It is my Psychology class. Dylan whispers to me just as we take a seat below the chalkboard. "So, it doesn't look like your plan is going to work now."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Well, you told Tyler that we were in his chemistry class, but we've changed classrooms now, so how is he going to find us?"  
I hadn't thought about that! Now, even if Tyler isn't a hostage, and he tries to come for us, he won't find us. I can't help but think that they somehow know I sent someone a message of our whereabouts. Now that I think about it, it's kind of obvious that that would be the only piece of important information I would give out. A horrible thought enters my mind. What if Tyler shows up there, and there are men inside the chemistry class, waiting to kill whoever comes to save us?


	9. Chapter 9

IX

Alexis

_I'm sitting at home and I'm trying to learn how to play the guitar from Tyler while Dylan plays with his remote controlled car. I remember this day. I was 10 years old. My dad comes home from work and Dylan's car drives into his foot. He smiles and picks up the toy car as Dylan gets up and runs towards him for a hug. Tyler and I do the same. We pull away and he seems tired. His eyes are red and puffy, as if he hasn't been getting sleep.  
"When is mommy coming home?" I ask, and all of a sudden, I know the answer.  
Dad's smile fades. "We all need to talk. How about we take a seat on the couch and get a little comfortable?"  
"But I want to show mom the new song I learnt from Tyler on the guitar." I insist.  
"Yeah," Dylan adds. "And I want to show her my new car!"  
Tyler doesn't say anything. I have a feeling he has caught on to whatever is happening. Now is the time. Now is the time he tells us that mommy isn't coming home. Instead, he pulls something out of his pocket.  
A gun.  
I look up to his face and suddenly, he is not my dad. He is a stranger who has his face covered in a mask. Only his eyes are seen. They are as black as the gun pointing to my forehead. I look around for help but Dylan and Tyler are no longer there. The stranger laughs. "Any last words?"  
I shiver. I don't know what to say, or if I should say anything at all. I guess my time is up because after a few seconds, before I can even think of what to say, he pulls the trigger._

I wake up, drenched in sweat, even though it's freezing cold.  
_It was just a dream_.  
I look around the room but can't see anything since its pitch black. All I can make out is a figure on the next bed in deep sleep. The only person I know who snores like that is Tyler. He must have finished guard duty and come here to sleep. I know I probably won't fall asleep on my own, but I did know how to _make _myself sleep. I get up from the bed, looking around for the jacket I wore the previous day, but I can't find it. I assume that Tyler has put it back in his cupboard so I walk over to it and start rummaging through it. The contents of his cupboard surprise me a bit. I never actually took the time to actually see what was stashed in there but now I notice everything. Clothes, cash, drinks – alcoholic and non-alcoholic – books, and clear Ziploc pouches, which I am afraid to look into. There are also two pairs of walkie talkies and tons of cans. Some cans of spray paint, some of whipped cream, some of shaving cream, and a few cans of smoke. I have no idea what they wanted to do with smoke in a can but I push all thoughts aside and grab a random jacket. Not bothering to put slippers on, I sneak out into the corridor. Its freezing cold, since the blizzard has gotten worse, but all I focus on is finding the right room. I peep into every one until I find the one I want. The first room in the corridor. I tip toe across the hall and slip into the room, shutting the door softly behind me.  
Nathan is sprawled across the bed, deep in sleep. I think of waking him up but he seems so peaceful, I decide to leave and trouble my brother instead. When I turn around, I step on something hard and sharp, and it pierces my foot. The stinging pain makes me fall backward where my back hits a chair and it topples over. Suddenly a light comes on and Nathan is standing near a desk. On it is a bedside lamp which is the one he must have switched on. Once the light is on, I am able to see what I stepped on. Broken glass pieces from a bottle. The bottle seems to have been smashed right in front of the door.  
"Alex? What are you doing?" He asks drowsily.  
"Well, I had a bad dream, so I thought I would come over here, but then when I saw you asleep, you looked so at peace, like you were having nice dreams, so I decided not to disturb you. Then I turned around to leave and I stepped on that." I said, pointing to the glass pieces. "So I fell back and hit the chair in shock."  
He rubs the back of his neck. "You can't keep yourself out of trouble, can you?" He walks over, not waiting for an answer and grabs my hand. He leads me to his bed and makes me sit down. He walks over to one of the cupboard and rummages inside it for a while.  
"Were you drinking?" I ask.  
He doesn't reply. He keeps rummaging through the cupboard until he finds a box of Band-Aids and some antiseptic wipes. He walks over to me, kneels down, and wipes the underneath of my foot before placing two Band-Aids over the cuts. He gets back up and keeps the box and the antiseptic wipes back in the cupboard. Then he just leans back against the cupboard and looks at me.  
"You didn't answer my question." I say.  
He sighs. "Yeah. Just one bottle though." He says. "It' in pieces because I threw it at the door out of frustration." He answers the question I was about to ask next.  
"And you didn't bother to clean it up?"  
"Who cleans when their frustrated?"  
"Some people do."  
"Yeah, people with OCD, not me."  
"But what if someone were to come in the room like I did?"  
"Well, at this point I wasn't expecting anyone, especially not you."  
"Why not?"  
"Everyone's pissed at me. Even Tyler. I figured you would be even more pissed because of what I did after the fight."  
I stayed silent for a while. "I'm not."  
"What?"  
"I'm not pissed at you."  
"You've got to be kidding me."  
"I'm not. I understand now why you fought with Eli. I'm only a little confused right now."  
"Confused about what?"  
"Before I say, you have to tell me, where did you get the beer from?"  
"I told you I had things planned for the all-nighter."  
"Well yeah I know that, I saw a few bottles in Tyler's cupboard too, but where did you get them from?"  
He shrugs. "I know a few people. So, what are you confused about?"  
I was a little hesitant, but I decided to just come right out and say it. "Why didn't you ever do it before?"  
"What? Kiss you?"  
I nod.  
"That's coming off as a bit too strong don't you think?"  
"Well, I mean not necessarily kiss me, but tell me."  
"That I wanted to kiss you?"  
"Well, not exactly, but you know what I mean."  
"Well, you were always good at reading people, and I figured you knew that I'm a horrible person who just plays around with girls."  
"Well, I wouldn't say horrible. But even though you do all that, you care about all the girls you date. You don't want anything to happen to them. You said so yourself. And I know you won't ever let anything happen to me. I trust you."  
He chuckles a bit. "Maybe I was right."  
"About what?"  
"About you being Number 4. You like guys for who they really are."  
"I never said I liked you." I remind him.  
"Well, you just gave me your opinions of me, and they don't seem to be all that bad. Also, you said you trust me even though you know of all the things I've done in the past. Now tell me, would you say that unless you liked me?" He says with a sly smile.  
I was at a loss for words. He took that as an opportunity and he walked across the room in two long strides and cups my face in his hands. He leans in and touches his mouth to mine. At first I don't respond, but then my eyes close and I kiss him back. Without moving his mouth from mine, he takes a seat beside me on the bed, and I put my arms around his neck, knotting my fingers in his hair. His hands slide down to my waist and they remain there. After what seems like forever, we finally pull apart.  
"Well," I say taking a breath. "This isn't what I was expecting when I came in here expecting a story to comfort me."  
"Well, I'm sure you're comforted now."  
"Yeah, I guess."  
"What do you mean 'you guess'? I have never disappointed a girl before."  
"Well, I'm not like other girls." A grin spreads across my face.  
"Yeah, you've got a point."  
The room is silent for a while. Then Nathan's eyes widen, as if he just remembered something important, and he gets up and walks to a cupboard – not the one he got the first aid from, but the one beside it. From it, he pulls out a guitar.  
"I forgot to mention that I found this in one of the rooms after you fell asleep last night."  
"Well, this will comfort me even more." I try and give him sad looking eyes.  
"You don't have to act like a puppy. I never skip out on an opportunity to sing." This was true. Ever since he started to sing to Dylan and me while babysitting us, it became his passion. He won many talent competitions, and at one point in middle school, he even had a band, but they all went their separate ways after a year. He had an amazing voice, and only when I was listening to him sing was when I really felt at peace.  
He sits on the floor in front of my while I lift my legs and pull them close to my body. "What would you like to hear?" He asks.  
"You know my favourite."  
"Lucky for you, I remember." He smiles.  
"Wait, won't people wake up because of the noise?"  
"Noise? It's music. It isn't disturbing, it's always welcome. Especially with _me_ singing."  
"Alright, just start already." And so he begins to play 'Sweet child of mine'. Once he's done, I'm almost asleep.  
"Do I bore you _that_ much?" He asks.  
I snap awake. "No, no. It was lovely. I just love listening to that song. I do that to go to sleep, and well, I came in here half asleep, so…"  
He smiles. "Relax. I understand. Get some sleep."  
"Yeah, okay." I get to my feet.  
"Whoa, where are you going?"  
"To my room. Well, technically your room."  
"I meant you could sleep here. I'm not going to make you go all the way to your room."  
"It's just two doors away."  
"Whatever, just sleep here. I'll go there."  
"No. Stay here."  
"With you?"  
I nodded.  
"Uh, thanks. I'm really interested in dying by the hands of your brother." He says sarcastically.  
"You're scared of Tyler?"  
"Well, kind of, but only when he's being your overprotective brother. Besides, he's my best friend. I don't want to mess things up between us."  
"You won't. Besides, all I want to do is sleep, nothing else."  
"I know that but…" The look on his face says that he still doesn't seem to like the idea.  
"Actually, you're right. I'm sorry. I don't want to make you do anything you're not comfortable doing."  
I fall back and let my head hit the pillow. I pull the blanket up to my chin, so I can feel a little warmer, but it doesn't seem to help. I know I won't any sleep, but I have to act like I will, so I yawn. He seems to think for a while, then climbs into bed. "I'll stay until you fall asleep." I snuggle up to him, laying my head across his chest. He has an arm around me so I feel a lot warmer.  
"Alexis?" He says after a while. The only times he calls me Alexis is when he's angry, or about to say something serious and important. I wondered which one it was now.  
"Yeah?"  
"I love you."  
"Are you sure? I mean we haven't even been on any dates."  
"I've known you for like ten years. I'm pretty sure of the way I feel about you."  
"Well, I–"  
"No," He cut me off. "Don't say it back. I don't want you saying it just because I did. I want you to mean it when you say it. _If_ you say it."  
"I _do_ love you. I'm just not sure if it's in the romantic, lovey-dovey kind of way."  
"Take your time. Just try and give me an answer tomorrow okay?"  
I laugh. "Sure, Nate." I close my eyes and try to fall asleep. The only thing I remember before entering my dream landscape – which was all good dreams by the way, no nightmares – was the soft sound of snoring from Nathan beside me.

"Wake up!" Someone shouts. I snap awake and sit up. My head feels dizzy from sitting up so fast. Nathan fell to the floor in shock, and it was then that I realized he never got up to go to his room once I slept. I look around the room, my vision still blurry, and notice a figure standing in front of me. "What's going on?" The voice demands.  
Tyler.  
I panic for a few seconds but then calm down. Nathan just has a mouth wide open, and he can't think of what to say. This is one of the only times I see Nathan speechless.  
"Nothing. I came in here because I had a bad dream, so he sang me to sleep." Which was the truth.  
"Why couldn't you wake me?"  
"Well, you had the last guard duty, so I figured you needed the rest. Besides, it seems more punishable to wake up Nate, what with the huge fight yesterday and all."  
"Not a bad excuse, but that doesn't mean I believe it."  
"It's the truth." Nathan finally speaks.  
"I don't want to hear anything from _you_ right now. _Especially_ not now."  
Nathan just nods, as if understanding.  
"Look, I don't know what you're so upset about."  
"You're in bed with Nathan." He says through clenched teeth.  
"Well, it's not like anything happened! We only fell asleep. And I needed some comfort."  
"Well, I'm sure you got plenty of that."  
"Hey, if Saskiya was here, you know you would be spending as much time with her as possible. If you could hold her in your arms, thinking it might be the last time, you would. Hell, you might have done a lot more thinking you wouldn't live to see the next day. At least I didn't." I can see that my words seem to sting, but he has to realize that I'm old enough to take care of myself.  
"I'm older than you."  
"Well, Saskiya isn't. Does that make it any different? Or does it make our situation pretty much the same?"  
He stays silent for a long time. "Get dressed and meet me in the main hallway for breakfast in 5 minutes. We've got plans to discuss." He walks out of the room.  
I look at Nathan. "We should probably get ready. I don't want to make him angrier than he already is." He tells me. I nod and get up to go to my – Nathan and Tyler's – room. I open Tyler's cupboard and take out one of his football jerseys. By the blue colour, I recognize it as a Chelsea jersey. On the back is 'TORRES' and below that, the number 9. Despite the fact that I'm not really a Chelsea fan, I put it on and decide to wear the same pants. Out of the cupboard, I also grab a jacket and a red beanie and put both on. Satisfied, I move to the hallway, where Tyler and Nathan are already seated, with white containers in front of them. They seem to be having an intense conversation, but neither of them seem angry or worried, so I calm down a little as I approach them.  
"Um, what's for breakfast?" I ask as I sit down near Nathan.  
"Same as yesterday." Says Tyler passing me a white container full of waffles. I don't complain. I begin to eat and then Nathan speaks up. "So, about the plan?"  
"Yeah," Tyler says. "So basically all of us have to go in there and try and get everyone out. The only problem is that we don't have any weapons."  
"Well, we could make use with whatever we have." I suggest.  
"Yeah, but none of that could really help us as opposed to guns."  
"But they aren't actually using the guns are they," Nathan points out. "I mean we know they have hostages, but we don't know what they want from the school. Besides, these guys don't seem to know what they're doing. Normally everyone would be checked before they became hostages but Saskiya still had her phone. Only when you called did they find out she had a phone."  
"Has anyone called the cops?" Nathan asks.  
"Yeah, we did. But they can't enter school premises because apparently the leader of all these gunmen has said that for each officer that comes in, a hostage dies." Tyler supplies.  
"So they just gave up?" Nathan says.  
"Well, no. There's an officer who keeps in contact with the leader and keeps trying to convince him to stop or leave. The leader probably keeps asking for things as ransom. All I know is that he has asked the officer to keep headmaster Fletcher around, because apparently he is very important for whatever task they intend to carry out. I think they're trying to find something, and only the headmaster knows where it is."  
"Wait, so headmaster Fletcher isn't a hostage?"  
"Nope. He wasn't in when all hell broke loose."  
"Okay so basically, we can't beat them by force, so we need to think of a way to trick them, and I have an idea, but we need someone to be a decoy." I say.  
"For what?" Tyler asks.  
"Well, we need someone to go and act like they're trying to rescue whoever is in the room, but obviously that person will get caught, and will be taken into the room."  
"How does that help?" Nathan asks.  
"Would you let me finish?" I narrow my eyes. He simply nods and I continue. "So, as I was saying, the person will be taken in the room, but not empty handed. He or she – most likely a she – will–"  
"Wait, why is the person most likely a girl?" Nathan objects. When he doesn't get a reply, he says, "Right. Sorry. Continue."  
"He or she will carry a few smoke cans and a walkie talkie just in case things go wrong. In the meantime, we're going to have people situated outside the window of the class with crowbars or something that can break glass."  
"Okay, I get where this is going." Says Tyler. "So, the decoy hostage goes in and somehow sets off the smoke cans and then from the outside people will break open the windows."  
"Exactly," I say. "And then all the people can file out. The decoy will also have to carry extra cans in case the first two wear off too fast."  
"That's a great plan and all, but it's not like the guards in the room are just going to sit back and let that happen." Nathan points out.  
"Well, yeah I thought about that and realized that whoever the decoy hostage is, is going to need back up. At least two people to knock the guards in the room unconscious. We can keep two more guys close by just in case we're outnumbered."  
"Well, it won't be long before back up shows up though."  
"I know, so we have to be really quick, and we aren't completely safe until we leave campus grounds. Getting out of the class isn't enough."  
"Okay, we can work out something. Some of us have cars here. We'll just have to keep them ready and hope everyone can squeeze in." Tyler says.  
"Yeah, that will work. But we have to be quiet." I say.  
"Okay, we'll park them a few feet away and then just run to them. We'll leave the keys in ignition and have a driver in each car to be ready to drive us out."  
"Wait, what about the main gate? And the class room hallways? They'll be guarded for sure." Nathan says.  
"Yeah, well about the gate, we have to just drive through it or something." I tell him.  
"Not necessarily," Tyler says. "The brick wall that surrounds the school? It's been going under repairs for a while and there's one part of the wall that's not completely developed yet. It's like two feet shorter than the rest of the wall and stretches about 8 feet wide. Big enough for a car to fit through, weak enough for a car to break through."  
"Great, and about the hallways?"  
"We can use the ventilation systems to crawl right to the front of the class they're being held in."  
"How do we know where that is?"  
"Oh, Nathan and I are very familiar with the ventilation systems. How do you think we get around without being seen, or pull pranks?"  
"Oh, is that why you have smoke cans and other weird things in your cupboard?"  
"Got that right." Tyler flashes a small smile. The first real one I've seen since he got us out of the freezer room.  
"Okay, so we're all set."  
"Whoa, no we aren't. You still didn't say why the decoy hostage has to be a girl." Nathan says.  
"Well, because girls have the best chance at sweet talking the guards into getting out information." I finally clarify his doubt.  
"And you think either Rebecca or Carol can do that?" Nathan laughs.  
"No, I was thinking that I would do it." I say softly.  
"Wait, what?" Both Nathan and Tyler say in unison.  
"I knew you would react that way but I have reasons. Firstly, I have the best smooth talking skill here."  
"Not true." Nathan says.  
"Yeah well, I doubt all the guards are into men so I'm probably the best bet."  
"Okay, so that's you're only reason?" Tyler says.  
"Well, that and the fact that it was my idea, so since you're using it, you might as well let me call the shots."  
"Look," Nathan begins. "I know you're the hottest girls here and all, but that doesn't mean we're going to risk you to save everyone, even if it is a brilliant plan." I blush a little, but keep my face straight.  
"Look, I have the best chance of making this plan work, and if you don't go through with it, you're going to regret it." I direct my words at Tyler.  
There is silence for a few minutes. Then Tyler finally says, "No. I'm sorry, but my family comes first. I can't let you do this. Not if I can help it."  
"What if I just go ahead and do it myself."  
"You can't."  
"Try me."  
"Stop it Alexis. Stop being so stubborn. Can't you see that I don't want you getting hurt?"  
"Can't you see that I don't want _you_ getting hurt? Losing Saskiya would break you. I can't see that happen. Not if _I_ can help it."  
"Tyler, don't listen to her. We can come up with another plan to get Saskiya out." Nathan pleads.  
"Please, Tyler." I say. "You have to see that I'm not a small kid anymore."  
Tyler thinks for a while. "Okay."  
"What? Tyler–" Nathan begins, but gets cut off.  
"Nathan. I know you're upset, but–"  
"Upset?" he asks, slamming his hand down on the table, which makes me flinch a little. I'm furious! You go ahead and out your sister's life on the line to save your _girlfriend_? I know how you feel about her, but are you so oblivious that you don't realize that the way you feel about Saskiya is the way I feel about Alexis?"  
"Nate, he wasn't even willing at first. I just really tried hard to convince him and it worked." I try to calm him down, although my brain is still trying to digest what he had said.  
"I know, I'm sorry. It's just… it's not fair."  
"Nobody said life was fair." I say and put my hand over his.  
"Fine, but just so you know, what I'm about to say now cannot be negotiated." He says and I nod. "Tyler and I are going to be the two guys backing you up."


End file.
